Hiring a new coach should have been a slam dunk, but it was instead an airball, and the failure shows the depths to which the Lakers' reputation has fallen.
Plaschke is the LA Times' long-time sports columnist. This is a pretty damning statement from him. It is also an indication of the scrutiny Palinka is under now. He should have closed the deal when Hurley was in LA. He didn't.
IDK, this whole article seems to be based on conjecture to me. Maybe Hurley and his family like living in Connecticut, maybe he just prefers coaching college, maybe he just did the interview to get more money out of UCONN. It'd be embarrassing if he signed with anither NBA team but he stayed where he was.
People always overreact with the Lakers. People's opinion on Palinka change with the wind. He's done a decent job overall IMO.